document_title: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

question_text: who has been on law and order svu the longest

text: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

text: Production[edit]

text: History and development[edit]

text: The idea for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit originated with the 1986 "preppie murder" case of Robert Chambers, who strangled Jennifer Levin, a woman he dated whom he later killed during what he claimed was consensual "rough sex" in Manhattan's Central Park. The crime inspired Dick Wolf to write the story for the season one episode of Law & Order titled "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die". Even after writing the episode, however, the case continued to haunt Wolf, who wanted to go deeper into the psychology of crimes to examine the role of human sexuality.[8]

text: The original title of the show was Sex Crimes, reflecting the sexual nature of the crimes depicted on the show. Initially there was concern among the producers that, should Sex Crimes fail, identifying the new show with the Law & Order franchise could hurt the original show. Additionally, Ted Kotcheff wanted to create a new series that was not dependent upon the original series for success. Wolf felt, however, that it was important and commercially desirable to have "Law & Order" in the title, and he initially proposed the title of the show be Law & Order: Sex Crimes. Barry Diller, then head of Studios USA, was concerned about the title, however, and it was changed to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to reflect the actual unit of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) that handles sexually based offenses that are especially heinous.[9] The first episode, "Payback", premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999.[10]

text: Executive producers[edit]

text: Executive producer Neal Baer left Law & Order: SVU as showrunner at the end of season twelve, after eleven years (seasons 2–12) on the show, in order to sign a three-year deal with CBS Studios.[11] Baer was replaced by former Law & Order: Criminal Intent showrunner Warren Leight.[12] In March 2015, it was announced that Warren Leight signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures Television, that will allow him to work on SVU one more season, its seventeenth. Leight joined the show in season thirteen.[13] It was announced on March 10, 2016 that original Law & Order veteran producer Rick Eid would take Leight's place as showrunner starting in season 18. Creator Dick Wolf commented to The Hollywood Reporter, "I'm extremely pleased that Rick had decided to rejoin the family and hope that he will be here for years to come."[14] During post-production of season 18, following the announcement that SVU was renewed for a nineteenth season, it was revealed that Rick Eid departed the series. He will be taking over another Dick Wolf/NBC series. Chicago P.D.[15]

text: It was announced on May 25, 2017 that original Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent showrunner Michael S. Chernuchin would be reprising his role starting on season nineteen. Chernuchin was also co-creator and executive producing showrunner of Chicago Justice, another Wolf-related show that was canceled by NBC at the end of the 2016-17 TV season.[16]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Fort Lee, New Jersey served as the filming location for Detective Elliot Stabler's residence in Queens, New York.[17]

text: Many exterior scenes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit are filmed on location in New York City, Wolf's hometown, throughout all five of New York City's boroughs. As the NYPD encounters varied law enforcement challenges on a daily basis, the backdrop provides the writers a supply of ideal locations from which to choose.[18]

text: When searching for a place to film the interiors of the show, the producers found that there were no suitable studio spaces available in New York City. As a result, a space was chosen at NBC's Central Archives building in nearby North Bergen, New Jersey, which had sat empty for some time, and featured air-conditioning, adequate parking, and 53,000 square feet (4,900 m2) of stage area.[19] The Archives building was used for police station and courtroom scenes,[17] with various other locations in Hudson County used for other scenes, such as a scene shot at the Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus in 2010. The production left New Jersey for New York in 2010, however, when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suspended the tax credits for film and television production for the Fiscal Year 2011 to close budget gaps.[20] The show moved into the studio space at Chelsea Piers that had been occupied by the original Law & Order series until its cancellation in May 2010.[21][22]

text: Broadcast history[edit]

text: The show originally aired on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET for the first nine episodes, from September 20 through November 29, 1999.[citation needed] It was then shifted to Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on January 7, 2000, and remained in that time slot through the end of season four on May 16, 2003.[citation needed] Beginning with the season five premiere on September 23, 2003, SVU moved to Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET.[citation needed] NBC airs repeats on Saturday nights at varying times and previous episodes are shown on the USA Network on varying days in marathon blocks[citation needed]

text: With the season eleven premiere on September 23, 2009, the series vacated its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot because NBC began a prime-time weeknight Jay Leno series. The new time slot became Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with CTV still airing SVU on Tuesdays at 10:00 in Canada.[23] After the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 3, 2010, the time slot for SVU changed again to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, where it stayed until the twelfth season.[24] In the 12th season, SVU moved back to 9:00 p.m. to lead in the newest Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: LA,[25] until it was pulled from the network in January 2011 to be retooled.[26] SVU moved back to 10:00 p.m. on January 12, 2011, until the end of the 13th season.[27]

text: With season 14, SVU moved back to 9:00 p.m. after a two-hour season premiere event on September 26, 2012.[28]

text: Russian adaptation[edit]

text: In 2007, the Russian production company Studio 2B purchased the rights to create an adaptation of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for Russian television. Titled Закон и порядок: отдел оперативных расследований (Law & Order: Division of Field Investigation), the series stars Alisa Bogart as Major Olga Bobrova. The series follows a unit of investigators in Moscow whose job is to investigate crimes of a sexual nature. The series airs on NTV and is produced by Pavel Korchagin, Felix Kleiman, and Edward Verzbovski and directed by Dmitry Brusnikin. The screenplays are written by Sergei Kuznvetsov, Elena Karavaeshnikova, and Maya Shapovalova.[29]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Casting for the lead characters of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit occurred in the spring of 1999. Dick Wolf, along with officials from NBC and Studios USA were at the final auditions for the two leads at Rockefeller Center. The last round had been narrowed down to seven finalists. For the female lead, Detective Olivia Benson, actresses Samantha Mathis, Reiko Aylesworth, and Mariska Hargitay were being considered. For the male role, Detective Elliot Stabler, the finalists were Tim Matheson, John Slattery, Nick Chinlund, and Christopher Meloni. Hargitay and Meloni had auditioned in the final round together and, after the actors left, there was a moment of dead silence, after which Wolf blurted out, "Oh well. There's no doubt who we should choose—Hargitay and Meloni." Wolf believed the duo had the perfect chemistry together from the first time he saw them together, and they ended up being his first choice. Garth Ancier, then head of NBC Entertainment, agreed, and the rest of the panel assembled began voicing their assent.[30]

text: The first actor to be cast for the show was Dann Florek. Florek had originated the character of Captain Don Cragen in the 1988 pilot for Law & Order and played the character for the first three seasons of the show until he was fired on the orders of network executives, who wanted to add female characters to the all male primary cast. He maintained a friendly relationship with Wolf, however, and went on to direct three episodes of the original series as well as to occasionally guest star on the show. Shortly after Florek reprised his role for Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, he received a call to be on Sex Crimes.[31] Initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to star on the show as Cragen on the assurance that he would not be asked to audition for the role.[32]

text: Shortly after the cancellation of Homicide: Life on the Street, Richard Belzer heard that Benjamin Bratt had left Law & Order. Belzer requested his manager to call Wolf and pitch the idea for Belzer's character from Homicide, Detective John Munch, to become the new partner of Jerry Orbach's character, Detective Lennie Briscoe, since they had previously teamed in three Homicide crossovers. Wolf loved the idea, but had already cast Jesse L. Martin as Briscoe's new partner, Detective Ed Green. The idea was reconfigured, however, to have Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit instead.[32] Since the character of Munch was inspired by David Simon's depiction of Detective Sergeant Jay Landsman and developed for Homicide by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, the addition of Munch to the cast required the consent of all three. The appropriate agreements were reached and, while Fontana and Levinson agreed to waive their royalty rights, contracts with Simon required that he be paid royalties for any new show in which Munch is a main character; as a result, Simon receives royalties every time Munch appears in an episode of the show.[33]

text: Dean Winters was cast as Munch's partner, Brian Cassidy, at the insistence of Belzer. Belzer looked at Winters as a sort of little brother, and told Wolf, "Well, I'll do this new show of yours, SVU, only if you make Dean Winters my partner."[32] Wolf did make Winters Belzer's partner, but he was contractually obligated to his other show at the time, the HBO drama Oz. Since the role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was only initially meant to be a few episodes, Winters was forced to leave when it was time to film Oz again. Winters returned for the Season 13 finale, "Rhodium Nights," reprising his role as Cassidy. He also appeared (as Cassidy) on the two-part Season 14 premiere "Lost Reputation"/"Above Suspicion".[34] He subsequently became a recurring character into season 15. The void left by Winters's departure was filled for the remainder of the season by Michelle Hurd as Detective Monique Jeffries, a character who Wolf promised that, despite starting out as a minor character with one scene in the pilot, would eventually develop. Hurd left the show at the beginning of season two to join the cast of Leap Years.[35] Munch's permanent partner came in the form of rapper-turned-actor Ice-T, who had previously worked with Wolf on New York Undercover and Exiled. Ice-T originally agreed to do only four episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but he quickly gained affection for the ensemble nature of the cast. He relocated to New York City before his four-episode contract was up and remained with the show as Munch's permanent partner, Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola.[36]

text: Initially, the show focused exclusively on the policework of the detectives in the Special Victims Unit of the 16th precinct, with members of the District Attorney's office occasionally appearing as guest roles crossing over from the original Law & Order. From season two onwards, the format was changed to be more faithful to the original Law & Order concept by including court cases. Stephanie March had little television experience before being cast on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, nor did she watch much TV. Nevertheless, March was cast as Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot at the beginning of season two but still believed that, due to the grim nature of the series, it would be short-lived. She stayed with the series for three seasons, however, and left when she believed she had reached the natural conclusion of the character's development. She would later reprise the character as a guest appearance in season six and as a regular character on the short-lived Wolf series, Conviction, where she was promised more to do. Diane Neal had previously guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in season three before being cast as Cabot's replacement, Casey Novak, in season five. Neal remained with the show through the end of season nine,[37] after which she was replaced by Michaela McManus. March returned to the show in the tenth season (after McManus' departure from the cast) when Neal Baer proposed Cabot receive a character arc to revitalize the second part of the season, which would continue through season eleven.[38][39]

text: Tamara Tunie was cast as medical examiner Melinda Warner in season two after working with Wolf previously on New York Undercover, Feds, and Law & Order. Warner was initially a recurring character but became a regular character in season seven, and Tunie was added to the opening credits at that time.[40] When initially cast as Warner, Tunie was appearing as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns. From 2000 to 2007 (and again briefly in 2009), she appeared on both series simultaneously. In 2002, she also appeared on the Fox espionage-themed drama series 24, in the recurring role of CTU Acting Director Alberta Green. B. D. Wong was asked to film four episodes as Dr. George Huang, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler on loan to the Special Victims Unit. After his four episodes, he was asked to stay on with the show.[41]

text: After he starred in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and guest starred as Detective Chester Lake in the eighth season, Wolf felt that Adam Beach would be a good addition to the cast and asked him to be a permanent member beginning with the ninth season. Although Beach felt the role was a "dream role", the character proved unpopular with fans who felt that he was designed to gradually write out either Richard Belzer or Ice-T. Feeling there were too many police characters on the show, Beach left the show after only one season.[42] Michaela McManus was originally felt to be too young for the role of an Assistant District Attorney (ADA) before being cast as ADA Kim Greylek in the tenth season. McManus, months removed from a recurring role on One Tree Hill, remained with the series only half a season, however, before departing for unspecified reasons.[43]

text: Paula Patton joined the cast as ADA Mikka Von. She replaced Stephanie March.[44] However, Patton dropped out after one episode to film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and was replaced by Melissa Sagemiller in the recurring role of ADA Gillian Hardwicke.[45][46]

text: Before the end of season twelve, Mariska Hargitay asked for a lighter workload. As a way of writing her out of certain episodes, a plan to have her character promoted to a supervisory role was discussed.[47] At the end of season twelve, Christopher Meloni departed the cast, unable to come to terms with his contract. Warren Leight became the new showrunner during this same year and signed on before he knew that Meloni would be leaving the cast.[48] The second major departure to be announced in 2011 was that of B. D. Wong. On July 17, Wong announced on Twitter that, "I actually do not return for season 13, I am jumping to Awake! It’s awesome!" Wong added, "I don’t know if or when I’ll be back on SVU! It was amazing to have such a cool job for 11 years and to be a real NY Actor." Wong reprised his role as Dr. Huang in season 13's episode "Father Dearest".[49] In response to these departures, two new main actors were hired, and several changes were made to the recurring cast.

text: In June 2011, it was announced that Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino would join the cast as new series regulars.[5] Weeks later, it was announced that Stephanie March and Diane Neal would be reprising their roles as ADA Alexandra Cabot and ADA Casey Novak, respectively.[50] The launch of season 13 was marked with a retooling of the show that Warren Leight referred to as "SVU 2.0".[51] Changes that accompanied this included Tamara Tunie's being bumped from the main cast to a guest starring role and recurring actor Joel de la Fuente's not appearing for the first time since 2002. Of the latter change, Warren Leight said, "those scenes [which featured Fuente] can be dry" and hired Gilbert Gottfried as a more comedic replacement.[52] In addition to these changes, Linus Roache became a recurring cast member in his role of Michael Cutter, whom he played on Law & Order; on SVU former Executive ADA Cutter serves as the Bureau Chief for ADAs attached to the Special Victims Unit.

text: In season 14, Raúl Esparza joined the cast in a recurring capacity as ADA Rafael Barba and prior to the season 15 premiere, Esparza was promoted to a series regular. Also in season 15, Belzer departed the cast in the fifth episode, "Wonderland Story", in which Sgt. Munch retired from the NYPD and took a job in the DA's office as an investigator. Later in the season, Captain Cragen announced his departure from the NYPD, which made newly promoted Sgt. Benson the temporary squad commander. In leaving the cast, Florek ended a 400-episode run as Captain Cragen. In season 16, Peter Scanavino joined the series, first in a recurring role for episodes 1–3 and then was promoted to the main cast in episode 5, with Kelli Giddish, Danny Pino, Ice-T and Raúl Esparza no longer appearing in every episode. On May 20, 2015, it was revealed that Danny Pino would be leaving the cast after the season 16 finale "Surrendering Noah".

text: In August 2017, it was announced that Philip Winchester will recur in season 19 as ADA Peter Stone, his character from Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice, who is the son of Benjamin Stone, the ADA on the original Law & Order show.[53] It was later also announced that Brooke Shields was enlisted to assume a major recurring role starting in Season 19 of the long-running dramatic series.[54]

text: Salaries[edit]

text: By season twelve, both Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni had become among the highest-paid lead actors on a drama, with each earning nearly $400,000 per episode, a salary that TV Guide said was exceeded only by House's Hugh Laurie.[55] During season sixteen, Hargitay was reported to be earning $450,000 per episode, or $13,000,000 per season,[56] In season seventeen, her salary increased to $500,000 per episode.[57]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text:
Cast
Character
Rank/Position
Seasons
Notes

Regular
Recurring
Guest

Christopher Meloni
Elliot Stabler
Detective
1–12

[O 1]

Mariska Hargitay
Olivia Benson
Lieutenant
1–

[N 1][O 2]

Richard Belzer
John Munch
DA Investigator
1–15

15, 17
[N 2]

Dann Florek
Donald Cragen
Captain
1–15

16
[N 3]

Michelle Hurd
Monique Jeffries
Detective
1–2
1

Stephanie March
Alexandra Cabot
Assistant District Attorney
2–5, 11
2, 10, 13
6

Ice-T
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
Detective
2–

Tamara Tunie
Melinda Warner
Medical Examiner
7–12
2–6, 13–17

B. D. Wong
George Huang
FBI Special Agent
4–12
2–3
13–15, 17
[N 4]

Diane Neal
Casey Novak
Senior Assistant District Attorney
5–9
13
12

Adam Beach
Chester Lake
Detective
9
8

Michaela McManus
Kim Greylek
Assistant District Attorney
10

Danny Pino
Nick Amaro
Detective
13–16

Kelli Giddish
Amanda Rollins
Detective
13–

Raúl Esparza
Rafael Barba
Assistant District Attorney
15–
14

Peter Scanavino
Dominick Carisi Jr.
Detective
16–
16

tag: table

text:
Jump up ^ Olivia Benson was previously a Detective (seasons 1–15) and a Sergeant (seasons 15–17)
Jump up ^ John Munch was previously a Detective (seasons 1–8) and a Sergeant (seasons 9–15); the character, played by Belzer, first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-99)
Jump up ^ Captain Donald Cragen was the commanding officer of the unit until his retirement (seasons 1–15); the character, played by Florek, first appeared in the first three seasons of Law & Order (1990-93)
Jump up ^ George Huang was the unit's forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler until his retirement (seasons 1–15)

text:
Jump up ^ Christopher Meloni was first billed as "starring" during seasons 1–12
Jump up ^ Mariska Hargitay has been first billed as "starring" since season 13; she was previously second billed after Meloni.

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

          – Opening narration spoken by Steven Zirnkilton[58]

tag: div

text: Based out of the New York City Police Department's 16th precinct in Manhattan, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit (SVU for short), investigate and prosecute various sexually-oriented crimes including rape, pedophilia, and domestic violence. They also investigate the abuses of children, the disabled and elderly victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling. All the while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives. Its stories also touch on the political and societal issues associated with gender identity, sexual preferences, and equality rights. While the victim is often murdered, this is not always the case, and victims frequently play prominent roles in episodes. The unit also works with the Manhattan District Attorney's office as they prosecute cases and seek justice for SVU's victims and survivors with precision and a passion to win and bring closure to the intense investigations. The series often uses stories that are "ripped from the headlines" or based on real crimes. Such episodes take a real crime and fictionalize it by changing some details.[59]

text: Originally the show focused around the detective pairings of Elliot Stabler & Olivia Benson and John Munch & Brian Cassidy. Stabler is a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all and tries his best to protect his family from the horrors he sees every day. His partner Benson's difficult past as the child of a rape victim is the reason she joined the unit. Backing them up is John Munch, and his first partner Brian Cassidy. Munch is a transfer from Baltimore's homicide unit, who brings his acerbic wit, conspiracy theories, and street-honed investigative skills. Whilst Cassidy is young and eager to learn from his fellow detectives. These two detective teams received support from Detectives Monique Jeffries and Ken Briscoe.[58] When Cassidy transferred to Narcotics after thirteen episodes, Jeffries was partnered with Munch for the remaining of Season One and Briscoe was phased out. In the beginning of season two, Munch was then permanently partnered with Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, whose unique yet sometimes vulgar sense of humor and investigative experience make him a formidable match for Munch.[60] These detectives were supervised by veteran Captain Donald Cragen who oversaw the team from seasons 1–15. Cragen's tough-but-supportive approach to the team's complex cases guides the squad through the challenges they face every day. Also on the team's payroll is FBI Special Agent Dr. George Huang and Medical Examiner Dr. Melinda Warner. As the resident psychiatrist for the Special Victims Unit, Huang helps keep the officers sane in a field that could drive ordinary people mad. He has also served as the squad's resident criminal profiler, and his insights into the criminal mind have often helped the officers to crack the toughest perps, whilst Warner has become an integral part of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, and her personal skills have contributed to the unit's high success rate in closing cases.

text: The Unit did not receive a full-time assistant district attorney until season two, when Alexandra Cabot was assigned to work with the detectives.[61] After Cabot's departure in season five, she was replaced by Casey Novak, who remained as the ADA until the end of season nine. Kim Greylek became the permanent ADA in the season ten premiere, until Cabot made a return midway through that season when Greylek departed. Cabot remained the ADA through the second half of season eleven. After Cabot's departure, the ADA void was filled by Sonya Paxton (Christine Lahti) and Jo Marlowe (Sharon Stone) until the conclusion of season eleven. Gillian Hardwicke served as the SVU ADA during season twelve. In season thirteen, both Cabot and Novak returned as ADAs and since the beginning of season fourteen, ADA Rafael Barba has been SVU's prosecutor.

text: In season 13 other big changes happened when Stabler left in the season twelve finale. Detectives Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins joined the team filling the void left by Stabler. Amaro brings empathy to his cases while dealing with a stressful home life, whilst Rollins' dogged persistence and instincts help her close cases, but her secrets could derail her career. In the current seasons the Manhattan SVU is now run by Lieutenant Olivia Benson.

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has concluded its eighteenth season and has started its nineteenth season. Each season has aired on NBC and consists of 19 to 25 episodes, each lasting approximately forty minutes (sixty minutes including commercials).

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
22
September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)
May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)

2
21
October 20, 2000 (2000-10-20)
May 11, 2001 (2001-05-11)

3
23
September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)
May 17, 2002 (2002-05-17)

4
25
September 27, 2002 (2002-09-27)
May 16, 2003 (2003-05-16)

5
25
September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23)
May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18)

6
23
September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)
May 24, 2005 (2005-05-24)

7
22
September 20, 2005 (2005-09-20)
May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16)

8
22
September 19, 2006 (2006-09-19)
May 22, 2007 (2007-05-22)

9
19
September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)
May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)

10
22
September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
June 2, 2009 (2009-06-02)

11
24
September 23, 2009 (2009-09-23)
May 19, 2010 (2010-05-19)

12
24
September 22, 2010 (2010-09-22)
May 18, 2011 (2011-05-18)

13
23
September 21, 2011 (2011-09-21)
May 23, 2012 (2012-05-23)

14
24
September 26, 2012 (2012-09-26)
May 22, 2013 (2013-05-22)

15
24
September 25, 2013 (2013-09-25)
May 21, 2014 (2014-05-21)

16
23
September 24, 2014 (2014-09-24)
May 20, 2015 (2015-05-20)

17
23
September 23, 2015 (2015-09-23)
May 25, 2016 (2016-05-25)

18
21
September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)
May 24, 2017 (2017-05-24)

19
22[62]
September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
TBA

text: Reception[edit]

text: U.S. television ratings[edit]

text: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on Monday, September 20, 1999. After nine episodes, the show was moved to Friday nights, where it found its audience and following its first and second seasons became a Top 20-overall show, overcoming the "Friday night death slot" phenomenon. Beginning with the season five, the show aired on Tuesdays to compete with CBS' Judging Amy and ABC's NYPD Blue. In its later years, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit consistently outperformed Law & Order in the Nielsen ratings for first run episodes until the latter's cancellation in 2010.

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that SVU's popularity was "atypical: generally slightly more popular in rural areas and the Black Belt, but largely restricted to the eastern half of the country. It's most popular in Albany, N.Y.; least in Colorado and Utah".[63]

text: Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May (with the exception of the second and tenth season), which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

text:
Season
Time slot (ET)
Episodes
First aired
Last aired
TV season
Rank
Viewers
(in millions)

Date
Viewers
(in millions)
Date
Viewers
(in millions)

1
Monday 9:00 pm (Episodes 1–9)
Friday 10:00 pm (Episodes 10–22)
22
September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)
18.43[64]
May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)
15.11[65]
1999–2000
 No. 33
 12.18[66]

2
Friday 10:00 pm
21
October 20, 2000 (2000-10-20)
13.20[67]
May 11, 2001 (2001-05-11)
15.06[68]
2000–01
 No. 29
 13.1[69]

3
23
September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)
15.80[70]
May 17, 2002 (2002-05-17)
14.27[71]
2001–02
 No. 14
 15.2[72]

4
25
September 27, 2002 (2002-09-27)
15.60[73]
May 16, 2003 (2003-05-16)
13.70[74]
2002–03
 No. 16
 14.83[75]

5
Tuesday 10:00 pm
25
September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23)
13.23[76]
May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18)
18.36[77]
2003–04
 No. 21
 12.72[78]

6
23
September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)
14.20[79]
May 21, 2005 (2005-05-21)
16.38[80]
2004–05
 No. 23
 13.46[81]

7
22
September 20, 2005 (2005-09-20)
15.32[82]
May 16, 2006 (2006-05-16)
12.97[83]
2005–06
 No. 24
 13.78[84]

8
22
September 19, 2006 (2006-09-19)
14.55[85]
May 22, 2007 (2007-05-22)
10.28[86]
2006–07
 No. 38
 11.94[87]

9
19
September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)
12.10[88]
May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)
10.83[89]
2007–08
 No. 30
 11.33[90]

10
22
September 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)
9.52[91]
June 2, 2009 (2009-06-02)
11.34[92]
2008–09
 No. 39
 10.11[93]

11
Wednesday 9:00 pm
24
September 23, 2009 (2009-09-23)
8.36[94]
May 19, 2010 (2010-05-19)
8.61[95]
2009–10
 No. 44
 8.81[96]

12
24
September 22, 2010 (2010-09-22)
9.68[97]
May 18, 2011 (2011-05-18)
8.98[98]
2010–11
 No. 47
 8.84[99]

13
Wednesday 10:00 pm
23
September 21, 2011 (2011-09-21)
7.63[100]
May 23, 2012 (2012-05-23)
7.16[101]
2011–12
 No. 67
 7.59[102]

14
Wednesday 9:00 pm
24
September 26, 2012 (2012-09-26)
7.19[103]
May 22, 2013 (2013-05-22)
6.66[104]
2012–13
 No. 56
 7.30[105]

15
24
September 25, 2013 (2013-09-25)
9.58[106]
May 21, 2014 (2014-05-21)
6.39[107]
2013–14
 No. 46
 8.18[108]

16
23
September 24, 2014 (2014-09-24)
10.07[109]
May 20, 2015 (2015-05-20)
6.96[110]
2014–15
 No. 52
 8.71[111]

17
23
September 23, 2015 (2015-09-23)
8.27[112]
May 25, 2016 (2016-05-25)
7.19[113]
2015–16
 No. 52
 8.31[114]

18
21
September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)
7.83[115]
May 24, 2017 (2017-05-24)
6.22[116]
2016–17
 No. 48
 7.39[117]

19
22[118]
September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
5.64[119]
TBA
TBA
2017-18
TBA
TBA

text: Awards and honors[edit]

text: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has received many awards and award nominations. Mariska Hargitay has twice been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won once in 2005.[120]

text: The show has been nominated numerous times for the Emmy Award. Mariska Hargitay has been nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category 8 years in a row beginning in 2004 and won the Emmy in 2006. Christopher Meloni was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category in 2006. Robin Williams was nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. The series was nominated in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Jane Alexander and Tracy Pollan in 2000, Martha Plimpton in 2002, Barbara Barrie in 2003, Mare Winningham and Marlee Matlin in 2004, Amanda Plummer and Angela Lansbury in 2005, Marcia Gay Harden and Leslie Caron in 2007, Cynthia Nixon in 2008, Ellen Burstyn, Brenda Blethyn, and Carol Burnett in 2009, and Ann-Margret in 2010. The series won the award for Plummer in 2005, Caron in 2007, Nixon in 2008, Burstyn in 2009, and Margret in 2010.[121]

text: Broadcast and streaming[edit]

text: Law and Order SVU airs on NBC in the United States. All seasons, including the season that is currently on the air, are available to stream on Hulu (with a subscription). Seasons 14–17 are available to stream on Netflix. The latest 5 episodes can be watched for free on NBC.com[122] and the NBC app.[123] Outside of SVOD and NBC platforms, all episodes can be found on electronic sell-through platforms such as iTunes[124] and Amazon Video.[125] The show airs every Thursday night, on Network Ten in Australia, with a new episode usually followed by a repeat and occasionally shows repeats on other nights. Ten's digital channel One sometimes shows Seasons One-Three on Friday or Saturday nights, but is not currently airing these seasons at the moment. From the 29th of August 2017, Channel Nine started airing the first season at a late night slot, which it has also done with the original Law & Order but stopped after the first episode. It is unknown if it will continue to air on Channel Nine. Season 19 premiered on Network Ten on the 5th of October 2017 at 9:40pm.

text: Syndication[edit]

text: As of September 2017, the show is currently reran on fellow NBCUniversal network USA Network, as well as Ion Television and local stations. The show also briefly ran on Syfy in 2006.

text: International broadcast[edit]

text: In Australia, Law & Order: SVU airs on Network Ten and Universal Channel (formerly aired on TV1 which ceased to broadcast in December 2013). In the UK "Law & Order: SVU" originally aired on the Hallmark Channel (which in 2012 became the Universal Channel) with a terrestrial TV airing on Channel 5 in 2016 which then switched to Five USA. The UK is two and half weeks behind the US. In Brazil, Law & Order: SVU also airs on Universal Channel, with weekdays episodes from past seasons and simultaneously, two episodes after the original airing in the US. Law & Order: SVU is broadcast at 9.30 pm on Tuesdays on TV3 in New Zealand. Series 18 premiered on 11th April 2017.


document_title: Government of the United Kingdom

question_text: what type of government does united kingdom have

root

text: Government of the United Kingdom

text: Government in Parliament[edit]

text: A key principle of the British Constitution is that the government is responsible to Parliament. This is called responsible government.

tag: p

text: The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the King or Queen who is the Head of State at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with the Magna Carta in 1215.

text: Parliament is split into two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Commons is the lower house and is the more powerful. The House of Lords is the upper house and although it can vote to amend proposed laws, the House of Commons can usually vote to overrule its amendments. Although the House of Lords can introduce bills, most important laws are introduced in the House of Commons – and most of those are introduced by the government, which schedules the vast majority of parliamentary time in the Commons. Parliamentary time is essential for bills to be passed into law, because they must pass through a number of readings before becoming law. Prior to introducing a bill, the government may run a public consultation to solicit feedback from the public and businesses, and often may have already introduced and discussed the policy in the Queen's Speech, or in an election manifesto or party platform.

text: Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords. There have been some recent exceptions to this: for example, cabinet ministers Lord Mandelson (First Secretary of State) and Lord Adonis (Secretary of State for Transport) sat in the Lords and were responsible to that House during the government of Gordon Brown.

text: Since the start of Edward VII's reign in 1901, the prime minister has always been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and therefore directly accountable to the House of Commons. A similar convention applies to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It would likely be politically unacceptable for the budget speech to be given in the Lords, with MPs unable to directly question the Chancellor, especially now that the Lords have very limited powers in relation to money bills. The last Chancellor of the Exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman, who served as interim Chancellor of the Exchequer for one month in 1834.[8]

text: Under the British system, the government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation. By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a General Election is held. The support of the Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay, is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the Responsible house.

text: The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Question Time (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs both the cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question.

text: During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill—will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords.

text: Committees[9] of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold the government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions.

text: Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code,[10] when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question the government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the Speaker of the House of Commons.[11]

text: Her Majesty's Government and the Crown[edit]

text: The British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, is the head of state and the sovereign, but not the head of government.

text: The monarch takes little direct part in governing the country, and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the legal authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as The Crown, remains the source of the executive power exercised by the government.

text: In addition to explicit statutory authority, in many areas the Crown also possesses a body of powers known as the Royal Prerogative, which can be used for many purposes, from the issue or withdrawal of passports to declaration of war. By long-standing custom, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of the Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament.

text: The head of the government, the prime minister, also has weekly meetings with the monarch, when she "has a right and a duty to express her views on Government matters...These meetings, as with all communications between The Queen and her Government, remain strictly confidential. Having expressed her views, The Queen abides by the advice of her ministers."[12]

text: Royal Prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following:

text: Domestic powers[edit]

text:
The power to appoint (and also, in theory, dismiss) a prime minister. This power is exercised by the monarch herself. By convention she appoints (and is expected to appoint) the individual most likely to be capable of commanding the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons.
The power to dismiss and appoint other ministers. This power is exercised by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister.
The power to assent to and enact laws by giving [Royal] Assent to Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament, which is required in order for a law to (from a passed Bill) make it into the Statute Books (i.e., to become a valid law) as an Act [of Parliament]. This is exercised by the monarch, who also theoretically has the power to refuse assent, although no monarch has refused assent to a bill passed by Parliament since Queen Anne in 1708.
The power to give and to issue commissions to commissioned officers in the Armed Forces.
The power to command the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. This power is exercised by the Defence Council in the Queen's name.
The power to appoint members to Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.
The power to issue (and also to suspend, cancel, recall, impound, withdraw or revoke) British passports and the general power to provide (or deny) British passport facilities to British citizens and British nationals. This is exercised (in the United Kingdom, but not necessarily in the case of the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or the British Overseas Territories) by the Home Secretary.
The Royal Prerogative of mercy (although capital punishment has been abolished (thereby removing the need to use this power to issue pardons to commute a death penalty imposed, usually substituted into life imprisonment in lieu), this power is still used under rare circumstances (e.g. to remedy errors in sentencing calculation).
The power to grant (and also to cancel and annul) honours.
The power to create corporations (including the status of being a city, with its own corporation) by Royal Charter, and also to amend, replace and revoke existing charters.

tag: ul

text: Foreign powers[edit]

text:
The power to ratify and make treaties.
The power to declare war and conclude peace with other nations.
The power to deploy the Armed Forces overseas.
The power to recognise states.
The power to credit and receive diplomats.

text: Even though the United Kingdom has no single constitutional document, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the Royal Prerogative.[13] However, the complete extent of the Royal Prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and the period of absolute monarchy, or were modified by later constitutional practice,

text: Government departments[edit]

text: Government ministers are supported by 560,000[14] Civil Servants and other staff working in the 24 Ministerial Departments[15] and their executive agencies. There are also an additional 26 non-Ministerial Departments with a range of further responsibilities.

text: Location[edit]

text: The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall.

text: Devolved governments[edit]

text: Since 1999, certain areas of central government have been devolved to accountable governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These are not part of Her Majesty's Government, and are accountable to their own institutions, with their own authority under the Crown. By contrast, there is no devolved government in England.

text: Local government[edit]

text: Up to three layers of elected local authorities (such as County, District and Parish Councils) exist throughout all parts of the United Kingdom, in some places merged into Unitary Authorities. They have limited local tax-raising powers. Many other authorities and agencies also have statutory powers, generally subject to some central government supervision.

text: Limits of government power[edit]

text: The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers, delegated legislation, and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities, and the Charity Commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under Common Law or granted and limited by Act of Parliament, and are subject to European Union law and the competencies that it defines. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the Courts by judicial review.

text: Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested for and put on trial for corruption, and the government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority, if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations.[16]

text: By contrast, as in every other European Union (EU) member state, EU officials cannot be prosecuted for any actions carried out in pursuit of their official duties, and foreign country diplomats (though not their employees) and foreign Members of the European Parliament[17] are immune from prosecution in the UK under any circumstance. As a consequence, neither EU bodies nor diplomats have to pay taxes, since it would not be possible to prosecute them for tax evasion. This caused a dispute in recent years when the US Ambassador to the UK claimed that London's congestion charge was a tax, and not a charge (despite the name), and therefore he did not have to pay it – a claim the Greater London Authority disputed.

text: Similarly, the monarch is totally immune from criminal prosecution and may only be sued with her permission (this is known as sovereign immunity). The monarch, by law, is not required to pay income tax, but Queen Elizabeth II has voluntarily paid it since 1993, and also pays local rates voluntarily. However, the monarchy also receives a substantial grant from the government, the Sovereign Support Grant, and Queen Elizabeth II's inheritance from her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, was exempt from inheritance tax.

text: In addition to legislative powers, HM Government has substantial influence over local authorities and other bodies set up by it, by financial powers and grants. Many functions carried out by local authorities, such as paying out housing benefit and council tax benefit, are funded or substantially part-funded by central government.

text: Even though the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is supposed to be independent of the government on a day-to-day level and is supposed to be politically unbiased, some commentators have argued that the prospects of the BBC having its funding cut or its charter changed in future charter renewals in practice cause the BBC to be subtly biased towards the government of the day (or the likely future government as an election approaches) at times.

text: Neither the central government nor local authorities are permitted to sue anyone for defamation. Individual politicians are allowed to sue people for defamation in a personal capacity and without using government funds, but this is relatively rare (although George Galloway, who was a backbench MP for a quarter of a century, has sued or threatened to sue for defamation a number of times). However, it is a criminal offence to make a false statement about any election candidate during an election, with the purpose of reducing the number of votes they receive (as with libel, opinions do not count).